|
|
|
|
|||
By |
||||
April 13, 2010 -
Nearly 45,000 National Guard officers today applauded another
bi-partisan congressional effort to turn back an Air Force plan to take
C-130 cargo planes from the Air Guard to replace aging active-component
aircraft.
They also accused the Air Force officials of "trying to solve a short-term problem without looking at the long-term impact of such a decision." |
||||
The lawmakers urged the Air Force to "withdraw" the scheme unless officials could provide "conclusive proof" that the plan is "the best course of action," along with "alternate plans that have been considered." The letter comes on the heels of a March 24 letter from the Senate National Guard Caucus that condemned the plan."Capitol Hill sees what Guard leaders across the nation see," said retired Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, NGAUS president. "That is, a continuation of what appears to be a consistent trend since the 2005 BRAC to cut the Air Guard without any input from the Air Guard.
"As a result, Air Guard missions, cost-effectiveness and experience get
left out of the decision-making equation," he said. "It's simply a bad
way to do business, especially with dollars for modernization so
scarce."
The Air Force scheme, which is included in the president's 2011 budget
proposal, would shift 11 C-130 Hercules cargo planes from Air Guard
bases nationwide to replace older active-component models at Little Rock
Air Force Base,
It also would eliminate the only flying unit in the Puerto Rico Air
Guard. In all, 21 Air Guard C-130s would be affected. |
Air Force leaders
say part of the reasoning for the plan is that the Air Guard is not
always "accessible" for missions.
The 23 signatories
of the letter are: |
?AvStop Online Magazine Contact Us Return To News |
|